Ark. Senate approves money for court assistants

Thursday

Jan 24, 2013 at 3:23 PM

By a 31-0 vote, the Senate on Thursday approved transferring $100,000 from the unobligated portion of the County Juror Reimbursement Fund

Associated Press

The Arkansas Senate has approved transferring $150,000 from other parts of the budget to continue paying the salaries of 122 trial court assistants over the next two months as lawmakers try to find a longer-term funding solution.

By a 31-0 vote, the Senate on Thursday approved transferring $100,000 from the unobligated portion of the County Juror Reimbursement Fund and $50,000 in unobligated money from the Municipal Court Judge and Municipal Court Education Fund into the Administration of Justice Fund. The measure now heads to the House for a vote.

The proposal would keep the court assistants funded for 60 days while lawmakers try to find a permanent solution to the Administration of Justice Fund's shortfall. The fund, which is financed by court costs and fees, has been dwindling for years.